Myths of Geography: Eight Ways We Get the World Wrong
Paul Richardson
Oct 2024 · Hanover Square Press · Narrated by Orlando Wells
headphones
Audiobook
8 hr 10 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 17 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Is geography really destiny?
Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the center of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbors.
In his punchy and authoritative new book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how the world is represented often isn't how it really is—that the map is not the territory.
Along the way we visit some remarkable places: Iceland's Thingvellir National Park, where you can swim between two continents, and Bir Tawil in North Africa, one of the world's only territories not claimed by any country. We follow the first train that ran across Eurasia between Yiwu in east China and Barking in east London, and scale the US-Mexico border wall to find out why such fortifications don’t work.
Written with verve and full of quotable facts, Myths of Geography is a book that will turn your world upside down.
Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the center of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbors.
In his punchy and authoritative new book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how the world is represented often isn't how it really is—that the map is not the territory.
Along the way we visit some remarkable places: Iceland's Thingvellir National Park, where you can swim between two continents, and Bir Tawil in North Africa, one of the world's only territories not claimed by any country. We follow the first train that ran across Eurasia between Yiwu in east China and Barking in east London, and scale the US-Mexico border wall to find out why such fortifications don’t work.
Written with verve and full of quotable facts, Myths of Geography is a book that will turn your world upside down.
Is geography really destiny?
Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the center of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to thr...
Discover more
About the author
Paul Richardson is Associate Professor in Human Geography at the University ofBirmingham in the UK. He is an established scholar in the field of Geographyand Russian Studies, and the former President of the Association for BorderlandStudies. He has previously held academic positions at Hokkaido University inJapan and the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia. Myths of Geography ishis first trade book.
Paul Richardson is Associate Professor in Human Geography at the University ofBirmingham in the UK. He is an established scholar in the field of Geographyand Russian Studies, and the former President of the Association for BorderlandStudies. He has previously held academic positions at Hokkaido U...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
